String Games was released at Westfest 2011 in Ottawa, where M.O. & Geothermal MC started the summer off with a bang! It is M.O.'s follow-up to 'Eskimocentricity' (2009). Having produced each of the tracks, and wrangled five guest appearances, M.O. was happy to have long-time friend and rapper Geothermal MC on-board to make 'String Games' a duo effort. M.O. brings a pure distillation of hip-hop and the polar ice cap. He “hopes to update southerner’s perceptions of Inuit life.” (Kate Porter, CBC Radio One) M.O. was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Frobisher Bay, NWT at the time) during the coldest November in the town’s recorded history. A product of an Inuk mother and a Brooklynite father, he and two sisters were raised by their father in Iqaluit and in Vancouver, BC. It was in B.C. that M.O. met Geothermal MC, a rapper hailing from North Vancouver. They became life-long friends, and GMC was a special guest on 'Eskimocentricity', M.O.’s self-produced foray into hip hop. ‘String Games’ features exciting guest appearances from Kinnie Starr, Belladonna the Virtuous, Shauna, Whitey of Southside Totems, Hyper T, and Big Scratch. ------------ 1. Marching Out 2. Drive (M. Folger, J. Lewis) 3. Bearings ft. Whitey of Southside Totems (M. Folger, J. Lewis, K. White) Whitey vocals recorded by Kenneth White 4. Muskox ft. Kinnie Starr (M. Folger, A. K. Starr) Guitar sample from “Un Jardin Au Bout Du Monde” performed by Musk Ox, used by permission 5. Tundra ft. Big Scratch (M. Folger, J. Lewis, B. O’Shaughnessy) Big Scratch recorded by Brendan O’Shaughnessy 6. Saturday (J. Lewis) Additional vocals by Napatsi Folger 7. Spanned (M. Folger, J. Lewis) 8. Scaling ft. Shauna (M. Folger, J. Lewis, S. Seeteenak) Shauna vocals recorded by Shauna Seeteenak 9. Sides (M. Folger, J. Lewis) 10. Assembly ft. Hyper T (M. Folger, A. Tanuyak) Hyper T vocals recorded by Adam Tanuyak 11. Shadow (M. Folger, J. Lewis) 12. Midnight ft. Belladonna the Virtuous (M. Folger, J. Lewis, D-M. St. Bernard) Belladonna vocals recorded by Christian Hurst at Granitewish Studios Executive producers: Karen Beddard, Mosha Folger, John Lewis All tracks produced by M.O. Mixed and mastered by Brendan ‘Big Scratch’ O’Shaughnessy All samples (unless otherwise noted) courtesy Ed Folger, used by permission All vocals recorded by Mosha Folger and John Lewis (unless otherwise noted) Cover design by Mosha Folger and Ed Folger Cover drawing by Alexa Marsh, instructions for the string figure (Two Men Carrying Water) courtesy “The Arctic String Figure Project” coordinated by the International String Figure Association (www.isfa.org) Photography by Bryan Davies Special thanks: Ed Folger, Erin Lewis, Bob and Leah Anne Lewis, Karen Beddard, Nikkutai Folger, Napatsi Folger, Alicia Folger, Rheannon and Lilly Lewis, Alastair C., Noel Bentley, Gary Flickenger, Nathanael Larochette, Kenneth White, Alida Kinnie Starr, Shauna Seeteenak, Adam Tanuyak, Brendan O’Shaughnessy, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, Joanasie Salamonie, Mickey Tuktu, Jeffrey Hayes, Ernest Frankson, Juaka Lyberth